1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to crop harvesting equipment and, more particularly, is concerned with a crop stalk guide extension for employment with a crop stalk guide attachment to a cutterbar of a crop harvesting machine gathering header.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Crop harvesting machines, such as combines, are commonly used to gather and harvest grain-bearing stalk crops as the machine is moved across the field. In the case of short stalk row crops, such as soybeans and milo, the crop harvesting machine gathers the crop by cutting the stalks close to the ground and feeding the severed grain-bearing stalks into the machine. The machine harvests the grain from the stalks by first threshing the severed stalks and finally separating the grain from the threshed stalks.
Crop harvesting machines typically utilize crop headers mounted transversely across their forward ends to cut and gather a wide swath of the crop upon each pass through the field. The crop gathering headers commonly employ cutterbars extending transversely to the path of movement of the machine through the field and positioned close to the ground for severing the crop stalks close to the ground.
Crop gathering headers also usually employ devices for guiding the crop stalks into the cutterbars. The particular guide device employed depends on what crop is being harvested. One type of stalk guide device, which has been used for short stalk row crops, such as milo, is constructed of a number of rod-like fingers which attach to the cutterbar and extend forwardly on opposite sides of the stalk rows. At their forward ends, the fingers, in turn, mount springy tines which extend rearwardly on opposite sides of the stalk rows.
Problems have been encountered with this type of stalk guide device that impede the overall efficiency of harvesting operations. First, under certain tangled crop conditions, the tines can break off and be pulled into the cutterbar causing damage which requires temporary shutdown of the harvesting machine until repairs are made. Second, weeds intermingled with the crop stalks tend to catch on and plug the guide fingers, eventually impeding the smooth flow of the crop stalks to the cutterbar and requiring temporary suspension of the harvesting operation until the plugged weeds are cleaned out.
A solution to these problems in guiding crop stalks into the cutterbar of a crop harvesting machine gathering header has been provided by the crop stalk guide cutterbar attachment disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,610 issued to Britten. The Britten crop stalk guide assembly includes a support framework and a plurality of flat guide plates. The support framework is attachable to the cutterbar of the crop gathering header so as to extend forwardly from below the sickle guards and a sickle of the cutterbar and to be spaced above the field surface the same as the cutterbar. The flat guide plates are attached on the top of a forward portion of the support framework so as to extend above the cutterbar sickle guards and sickle. The guide plates are spaced laterally in relation to one another and define elongated passageways between them which run in the direction of forward travel and lead rearwardly between the sickle guards to the sickle of the cutterbar.
The patented Britten crop stalk guide cutterbar attachment has heretofore performed satisfactorily under most crop conditions and thus has provided a solution to the aforementioned problems. However, a problem may still arise under certain extreme conditions wherein certain crop stalks are bent down so low to the ground that they pass under the attachment and the cutterbar.
Consequently, a need has arisen for an improvement to the design of the Britten attachment for guiding crop stalks into the cutterbar of the crop harvesting machine gathering header.